'Origins: How Earth's History Shaped Human History' by Lewis Dartnell

Origins: How Earth’s History Shaped Human History, Lewis Dartnell (4.0)

The author nicely puts together many things we may have heard or read in the past about how the earth’s physical features over millions of years have impacted life in general and human life in particular. Sometimes a bit dry, I suggest reading each chapter in one sitting to get the most impact. There were nuggets of important information throughout the book. My main comment is that many things were stated as fact that are still, in fact, theory. As we gain new techniques, we learn things about our past and I expect that to continue. I will be curious to see what might change in this book in 25-50 years’ time.

'Remarkably Brilliant Creatures' by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Brilliant Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (3.5)

I was a little surprised at the level of enthusiasm shown for this book. It is definitely a ‘feel-good’ book that is generally enjoyable to read. That being said, it is predictable and a tad far-fetched. I love octopi and real stories about their surprising natures. A giant octopus plays a big role in this story and is quite a charmer. The story follows a widower, a troubled young man and said octopus. That the octopus sees as much or more than some readers will figure out, indicates he’s both the heart and brains of the tale. I did find the story to be very predictable and the idea that the octopus was so smart was a bit much to take. If you want a relatively light book with an enjoyable outcome, this book will serve.

'Going Infinite' by Michael Lewis

Going Infinite, Michael Lewis (4.0)

I found it interesting that the drama following the subject of this book continued to the writer and the book itself. For those not interested in crypto-currency or familiar with the latest fallen wunderkind, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), Mr. Lewis started this book as a study of a company and person whose net worth became shockingly large in a very short time. It sounds like a Michael Lewis subject, but the interesting part is that during the writing (as the author followed and researched SBF) the company went bankrupt and SBF was arrested for major mismanagement of funds. I don’t think Mr. Lewis made him appear innocent in his writing, but he did seem to lose his journalistic distance as he struggled to account for why SBF did what he did. Sam reminded me of Rainman – a non-neural-typical person with one strength (math/gaming), no empathy (he had to teach himself how to smile) and zero interest or understanding of how people and businesses work. Bottom line, Sam only cared about the game, nothing else. Would you want someone like that in charge of a company worth billions? Really not surprising that it failed, and he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.

'Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting' by Lisa Genova

Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, Lisa Genova (4.0)

Parts of this book are very reassuring parts are very frightening. Even given that, I do recommend anyone concerned with memory read it. The author is a neuroscientist and explains how memory works physically and procedurally. Her examples are familiar to us all -at various points in our lives. I particularly appreciated that while our memories are better when we are younger, we also didn’t get as worried when we forgot something as early onset Alzheimer’s was not a concern. She does spend a good portion of the book differentiating between normal aging memory loss and the various forms of dementia. Importantly she also discusses how to improve your memory at any age. 

'Reckoning' by Baron Birtcher

Reckoning, Baron Birtcher (4.0)

I found this story following an Oregon sheriff/rancher in the 1970’s quite engaging. He is smart and thoughtful but struggles from his time in the military. The characters throughout are engaging and feel real. The story is somewhat complicated, which makes it that much more interesting. Birtcher had included land issues, water issues, corruption and murder that will be familiar to those who live in the west. This is the third in the Ty Dawson series and I will have to read the others.

'Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Coast Trail' by Andrea Lankford

Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Coast Trail, Andrea Lankford (3.5)

Having hiked in the areas of California near and on the Pacific Coast Trail, I was particularly interested in reading this book which talks about several thru hikers who have gone missing while attempting to hike the PCT. The author, a former Search and Rescue (SAR) professional, does a good job describing the people and environments of the PCT. She follows 3 specific missing hikers and their family’s search for them. Along the way, other missing hikers are discussed. I enjoyed most of the descriptions of the people and understood the difficulties inherent in the searches (based on the basic wilderness aspects). I did get a bit lost on the timelines as the searches were multi-year and the book did not flow chronologically. The jumping around was a distracting. Sadly, resolution was minimal, the book is more about the journey.

'Sold' by Patricia McCormick

Sold, Patricia McCormick (3.0)

I wonder how reading this book would change if you were younger and less jaded? The book is labeled ‘young adult’ and has been on banned book lists. What was happening to the protagonist was painfully obvious for an adult, but I can imagine it would read quite differently as someone more innocent. Taken from her home in the mountains of Nepal, she was told she was going to work as a maid and make money for her family, but obviously she was being lied to along the way. The story was short and compelling, but very painful to read. I never agree to ban a book, but I would caution very young readers as the reality of her journey’s destination could be quite disturbing. The trite ending with a ‘great white hope’ was disappointing.

'The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen' by Stephen R. Brown

The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen, Stephen R. Brown (3.5)

I appreciated why this book was written. Apparently, history has been somewhat skewed by the British interpretation of the validity of Amundsen’s adventures, particularly his ‘race’ to the south pole against Scott. While this author obviously goes to much effort to illustrate the many accomplishments of Amundsen, pleasantly the book does come across as being only slightly biased. He uses newspaper reports and some newly translated documents that had not been used previous. An earlier book did attempt to clarify the events of that race, but here Brown fleshes out the rest of Amundsen’s adventures. I was impressed by the degree of preparation he had, mostly in his early and most successful ventures. His respect for the ways of the Inuit were instrumental in his successes. Compared to other books about a particular adventure (e.g. concerning Magellan and Shackleton), this was not quite as compelling. Brown does a good job of supporting Amundsen as possibly the most successful adventurer, but the pace and ‘tell’ as opposed to ‘show’ slowed it down for me.

'The Talented Mr. Ripley' by Patricia Highsmith

The Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia Highsmith (4.0)

While books often have unlikeable protagonists, it’s rare to actively root against the main character as I found myself doing in this book. That being said, Tom Ripley is a very unique and interesting character and the book is well worth reading. His ability to turn his lies (by repeating them to himself) into what he is determined is the truth is chilling. This is a well written character exposition of a young man on the edge of high society determined to get himself where he belongs, regardless of how it has to be done. Wonderful descriptions of Italy abound as well.  And yes, I did reach back to reread this after reading the homage by Emily Gray Tedrowe. I had forgotten how horrifying the original was!

'The Great Believers' by Rebecca Makkai

'The Great Believers', Rebecca Makkai (4.0)

I found this book to be very poignant, though the author carefully interspersed an interesting art story and future family drama with the heartbreaking story of a group of young men in the 80’s dying of HIV/Aids. All AIDs stories are sad, but the juxtaposition of these young men finding their tribe (many recently ‘out’ and able to enjoy the company of others) while realizing a dangerous disease was in their midst was doubly tragic. The characters were so believable and carefully drawn one mourned each death as if it were someone you had met.

'The Black Tulip' by Alexandre Dumas

The Black Tulip, Alexandre Dumas (4.0)

For those put off by the thickness of Dumas’s other books, this is a good starter. The book is set in the Netherlands during tulipmania in the mid 1600’s, when religion, country and tulip flowers were equally revered. The protagonist, Cornelius von Baerle, is a gentleman who has dedicated himself to developing the treasured black tulip variety. Unwittingly he becomes involved with the politics of his godfather and is thrown in jail (a location used often by Dumas) where the jailer’s daughter may be able to help him. This story has love, intrigue, politics, and a hated rival – all the elements needed for a good read!

'When the Heavens Went on Sale', Ashlee Vance

When the Heavens Went on Sale, Ashlee Vance (4.0)

Though Elon Musk and SpaceX were discussed, I was happy that the book did not focus on them, but rather on the far more interesting small players who have worked out of the twitter-sphere to develop a shocking network of low cost satellites that are quite accessible to most people. As someone who follows technology and business, I was surprised how much had been done that I was not aware of. The transition of space travel from governments to commercial enterprises has happened in a somewhat ‘wild west’ fashion. I liked the writing style and found the book quite interesting. My main complaint was the level of minutiae spent on one of the companies. The author had unlimited access and wrote about every little step. That section dragged for me. 

'The Talented Miss Farwell' by Emily Gray Tedrowe

The Talented Miss Farwell, Emily Gray Tedrowe (3.0)

Ms Tedrowe explains that the main character, Becky Farwell, was developed when she heard a news story of a woman in a small town who had embezzled $50M from the town over 20 years working her way up through the towns finance department. I can see how this would bring up many interesting questions for a writer: how did she keep it secret for so long? Why did she do it? What type of person was she? Tedrowe gives her intelligence and an art collecting passion. How she keeps it secret is a bit more of a stretch. Some of the details of bank accounts and art collection got a bit boring. I also felt it was odd that she had so little remorse for what she was doing to the town and her closest friend – particularly as she was not written as having an antisocial personality disorder

'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig (3.0)

I enjoyed this book, though it was easy to know what was going to happen as it is derivative of the classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’. A forlorn UK woman decides she wants to end her life. Instead she ends up at the Midnight Library that consists of a book of all her regrets and an infinity of books of her possible lives. She is invited to read the regrets and choose a book (aka life) where she made a different choice. Given all her regrets, she follows this path multiple times and the reader learns how her life could be given the different trajectories. 

'Last Train to Istanbul' by Ayse Kulin

Last Train to Istanbul, Ayse Kulin (3.0)

There are many books written about WWII, so I appreciate ones that cover new ground. This book, written by a famous Turkish writer, depicts a Turkish family during the early 40’s – some in occupied France and some in Turkey. I appreciated reading about how the Turkish diplomats worked to protect their citizens, regardless of religion, and how they tried to stay neutral with both England and Germany trying to pull them into the war. While I enjoyed the parts regarding history, I was less enthused with the characters and family aspect. I can’t exactly say why, may have been they didn’t reach me, the story did not feel new, or possibly something was lost in the translation.

'Chasing Cezanne' by Peter Mayle

Chasing Cezanne, Peter Mayle (3.0)

This is a good summer read which includes romance, travel and intrigue. Mayle is most known for ‘A Year in Provence’ and again brings the food and atmosphere of France to life. The main character is a photographer working for a magazine who stumbles on a possible art heist from the homes he is profiling. He partners with an art dealer to try to understand what is going on. Given this could involve serious criminals, I was surprised how often they stopped for dinner or took things casually. I also wasn’t crazy about some of the archaic attitudes towards women, but if you assume this is indicative of France in the 90’s, you can enjoy the food descriptions and the caper itself. 

'What the Wind Knows' by Amy Harmon

What the Wind Knows, Amy Harmon (4.0)

My only complaint with this book is that the 3 main characters are too perfect. They have absolutely no flaws. But if you just want to read a compelling love story set over time and history, it fulfills very well. I really enjoyed how the author wove the real history of Ireland and its complex relationship with England into the story. The fabricated characters were seamlessly involved with real characters and events. It was cleverly done so that the reader didn’t have to question what real vs fiction was. I also appreciated the complex relationships throughout. 

'Wrong Place, Wrong Time' by Gillian McAllister

Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Gillian McAllister (4.5)

Writing good time travel books must be very difficult. My definition of bad is that you have to suspend your imagination too much and the flow of details is interrupted by a mistake. I also find the ones that go over the same timeframe (ala ‘Groundhog Day’) tiresome. This book has none of those features. From the first chapter to the last, I was engaged in the story and anxious to see what happens next (or prior?). It starts with the main character watching her son come home one night. She sees him stab and kill a strange man outside their house. She wakes the next day to find she has woken up the day before all this has occured. As she tries to make sense of it, she continues to wake up farther in the past and learns more and more about her son and husband by reliving events with new eyes. In addition to an interesting plot, reviewing past events with different eyes was thought-provoking to me. 

'Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club' by J. Ryan Stradal

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, J. Ryan Stradal (3.0)

Those of us who grew up in the Midwest and spent vacations visiting our grandparents in the Northwoods of Minnesota or Wisconsin will find this book familiar. Supper Clubs are restaurant/bars that are family owned restaurants that often have Friday fish fries and their own concocted cocktail. This story follows a woman and her family who have owned such a Supper Club in northern Minnesota. The story is interesting, though darker than I expected. I most appreciated the ambiance created.

'The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery' by Adam Gropnik

The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery, Adam Gropnik (2.0)

The idea of learning about mastery and how those who have it attained it is appealing. Unfortunately, I found this book very hard to read as it wandered and did not seem to consistently focus on mastery. The author finished one section with claiming what we thought was mastery was not (magic) and summarized another that mastery is sometimes letting go (driving). It felt more like a handful of stories that the author wanted to include. The book was not long but read slowly. I read one sentence three times and still didn’t understand it. 

'Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of the Time' by Dava Sobel

Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of the Time, Dava Sobel (4.0)

While latitude was understood and measured relatively easily, who knew how challenging longitude would be and how long (no pun intended) it took to find a sure-fire way to measure it? While that is quite interesting, the history is even more dramatic as the best solution eventually comes from a commoner, a self-taught watchmaker named John Harrison. Even though reputed sea captains of the time raved about Harrison’s invention, he/it is unfairly tested over many years.  Ms Sobel has written a fast-paced history lesson with villains and heroes that should be read by all.

'Once Upon a Wardrobe' by Patti Callahan

 

Once Upon a Wardrobe, Patti Callahan (4.0)

A touching and imaginative story of a sister’s love for her sick brother and her journey to find the answer to his question: how did C.S. Lewis come up with Narnia? Megs is a Physics/Math student at Oxford who tracks down C.S. Lewis to get an answer to her brother’s question. Unable to give her one answer, he tells her many stories of his life which she dutifully recites back to her bed-ridden brother. I normally don’t like fiction that uses real people, but this is a charming story more about relationships and how life likely affects fiction. 

'Blood of the Wicked' by Leighton Gage

Blood of the Wicked, Leighton Gage (3.0)

It took me a bit to get into this story due to how the stage is set and characters introduced. I enjoyed the last half a lot more than the first half. The main story is about landowners vs those who work the land in a remote area of Brazil. A Bishop is assassinated and the main character, a federal investigator named Mario Silva, arrives from the big city to find the killer. I have read so little fiction from and about Brazil that I mostly appreciated the setting and interactions of the people. Many of the evil characters were two-dimensional and the gore was quite graphic. Mario is complex, neither all good nor all evil. I can see why this is the first book in a series with him facing new challenges.

'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie

And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie (4.0)

One of my favorite things about Agatha Christie novels is how seldom I can guess the outcome! It’s wonderful to be surprised. I had read this book many years ago and still couldn’t remember ‘who done it’. Except for a handful of racist comments at the beginning (which definitely gave us an idea of the time and type of characters but were quite jarring today), the story holds up well: 9 people invited to a remote island by a somewhat familiar though ultimately unknown host. One by one a visitor is murdered and one of the ceramic Indian figures (of the song) are broken. Inspection of the island proves no additional people are there and the killer must be one of the original 9. I watched the movie from 1945 afterward. While having some great old actors, the ending was truly ‘Hollywood’ and disappointing. The book’s ending is much better.

'Fen, Bog and Swamp' by Annie Proulx

Fen, Bog and Swamp, Annie Proulx (3.0)

The information about the history and details of the wetlands in this book is quite interesting. I particularly liked the segment on bogs and the peat which holds various secrets (and quite a few bodies). The overall message of how humans have been quite ignorant of how important these wetlands are to the health of our planet is powerful. What I didn’t like is the author’s nonchalance with regards to the authenticity. She mentions she is not an expert but has read many books on the subject. At the end, she says due to the pandemic, she also didn’t get to interview many of the experts. When writing about an important environmental subject, I would like to see more rigor. This approach was ok for the New Yorker article that summarized the book (which I recommend reading), but I was left wanting more from the longform version.

'For the Love of Books' by Graham Tarrant

For the Love of Books, Graham Tarrant (3.0)

I found a lot of interesting facts about writers and books in this book, which is written as a series of chapters summarizing the history of many book genres. Surprisingly Edgar Allen Poe was considered to be the first to write about a gentleman detective in short stories such as ‘Murders at the Rue Morgue’. Arthur Conan Doyle purportedly was inspired by Poe’s Monsieur A. Dupin for Sherlock Holmes. While I enjoyed many of the points, I eventually found it too UK centric and a bit scattered with regards to the writing. Kind of ironic that a book about books is not written as well as one would like. 

'Double Whammy' by Carl Hiaasen

Double Whammy, Carl Hiaasen (3.0)

Carl Hiaasen books are like candy: fun, but you’re pretty sure it’s not good for you. As with all his books, this one is set in Florida. He introduces Skink, the odd hermit seen in many of his later books – part weirdo, part criminal and part ecologist. The mystery is set around competitive bass fishing with the usual murders and mayhem. I found this older book to be a bit meaner spirited and harder to believe, with cartoon characters sprinkled throughout. I prefer his later works, but will admit I laughed more than a few times.

'Demon Copperhead' by Barbara Kingsolver

Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver (4.0)

Charles Dickens had an amazing ability to write about very tough topics without dragging the reader through a vise, so to speak. He added levity with colorful characters (i.e. the comic relief). My only complaint about this modernization of ‘David Copperfield’ is the lack of comic relief. Maybe it would have read wrong, but several times I needed a break from the dreadful situations. The foster system and opioid crisis modernize the story effectively with devastating results. Ms. Kingsolver is a very good storyteller and keeps you interested in the narrator. Even if you remember what happens to David/Demon, you will quickly turn the pages in anticipation. 

'The End is Always Near' by Dan Carlin

The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin (3.0)

I am a fan of Dan Carlin’s podcasts and always appreciate his common-sense point of view. Here he reviews various stages in history to show how humans continually come close to the abyss, though as yet have not obliterated ourselves (yeah!?). I found the first half less interesting, maybe due to the known history and my ‘well, we made it through that one’ attitude. The second half, particularly as he discusses the atomic era, was appropriately scary and thought provoking. I had not realized the extent many in the government were pushing the use of the atomic bombs on the USSR (prior to them having the technology) to prevent the anticipated cold war. Carlin’s timing for this book is slightly off (published Oct 2019) as he talks about a possible global pandemic right before the actual pandemic. I read the paperback and would have appreciated an additional note putting that in perspective.

'Why Fish Don't Exist' by Lulu Miller

Why Fish Don’t Exist, Lulu Miller (4.0)

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. It is part history, part memoir, part biography and I think I was just confused at first. The author goes looking for a figure to write about and anchor her unraveling life. She picks David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist famous for finding and naming a large part of the fish population we recognize today and also an early President of Stanford University. I’m glad I was unfamiliar with Jordan as it felt I was learning about him along with Miller, which made many of her discoveries quite shocking. Jordan apparently has skeletons outside the closet (he was a strong supporter of eugenics) and inside (I’ll let you find out). While I normally don’t enjoy science mixed with memoir (Miller adds much about her life), once I surrendered to being an observer of her journey I appreciated the book more.

'All My Rage' by Sabaa Tahir

All My Rage, Sabaa Tahir (4.0)

I found this book quite thought provoking and moving. It is filled with many tragedies (the trigger warning at the beginning is not to be ignored). The story focusses on the lives of two Pakistani kids growing up in a small town near the Mojave dessert. One born there after his parents left Pakistan for a job in California and the other brought over by an uncle after an earthquake devastates her village and kills all her family. The best parts of the book focus on how they hold on to each other and their shared culture. There are many beautiful passages concerning language, food, prayers and family. My main issue with the book is the number and variety of the incidents. I do believe people have multiple issues and tragedies, but this was all over the board – alcoholism, child molestation, Islamophobia, drug abuse, domestic violence - no one is unscathed. Ultimately, even with the deluge of problems the characters face, the author instills some optimism, which I really appreciated as the reader.

'Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door' by Christopher Mims

Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door, Christopher Mims (4.0)

While much of this book was familiar to me, given my background in Supply Chain, I feel it’s important for consumers in the US to read this and understand the journey of your Prime 2-day deliveries. The author follows a USB drive manufactured in Viet Nam to a final destination somewhere in the US. While Amazon gets the product to the final customer in 2 days, the overall journey takes weeks. While I did get tired of the comparisons of shipping vessels to the Empire State building, the size and complexity of much of our logistics network are unknown to most. I particularly enjoyed the chapter discussing the details of the ships arriving into the Port of Long Beach and the harrowing job of the pilots who bring all the ships into their docks. Even given our advanced GPS and navigation, a person familiar with the port needs to ‘jump’ onto the ship to help steer it in safely. I was fortunate in one of my jobs to get a tour of the HQ of the Port of Long Beach and was so impressed with the automation. So many moving pieces to get the right truck bed off the ship and ready for the truck to pick up. Mims also paints a depressing picture of the dehumanizing Amazon has done in its warehouses. In many ways, the sooner they get to complete automation, the better. Sadly, it appears much of the negative impacts on its workers are driven not by the drive for lower costs/efficiencies but by the metric of 2-day shipping. Do we really need everything in 2 days? 

'We Are What We Eat' by Alice Waters

We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto, Alice Waters (3.0)

Given my feelings about fast food, I was quite sure this book would appeal to me. Ms. Waters discusses the various reasons many people value fast food while elucidating the fallacies to those thoughts along with highlighting the benefits of ‘slow’ food. Many readers have pointed out that she is assuming everyone has access to local organic food and she does address this. I was less concerned with that but did feel the audience who would benefit from reading this are the least likely to. Not a lot of new info for those of us who avoid fast food, but I did enjoy a reminder of why eating seasonally is important and tasty! I immediately pulled up my winter Swiss chard recipe.  

'City of Thieves' by David Benioff

City of Thieves, David Benioff (4.0)

There are many historical fiction books that cover WWII (too many?) so it is hard to differentiate oneself and write an original story. Benioff pulls it off by taking (theoretically) his grandfather’s story and embellishing it. My only nit is that it was hard to believe that many things happened to one guy – the embellishment felt a tad overdone. It was easy to put that aside, given Benioff’s great storytelling. The story was riveting, and the characters deftly moved between tragedy and comedy. The main character, Lev Beniov, is a teenager in Leningrad surviving the weather, lack of food and continual Nazi bombing. He is eventually sent on a quest to find a dozen eggs. His perilous journey involves the usual sidekick, love interest and many challenges. I really appreciated how the author was able to accurately depict the horrors they faced and the absolute unforgiving environment they were in without losing the heart of the Russian people. The pace of the book is as frenetic as you’d expect. By the end, I really wanted to know his grandfather’s real story!

'The Alice Network' and 'While I Was Gone'

The Alice Network, Kate Quinn (4.0)

While I’m not normally a fan of historic fiction (it makes me question what I already know about that time in history), this is an engaging story made up around a real female spy in WWI. The author carefully outlines in the Afterword which elements were fiction and which characters were real, with the main characters being fiction. I liked how the author illustrated the basic issues women had being spies in that time – both their day to day situation and the overall cultural assumptions made by their male counterparts. She also highlights very real intelligence that came from the network of women spies around events in WWI. The interweaving stories of WWI and 1947 also helped to move the story along briskly. I intend to look into the other books Ms. Quinn has written based on extraordinary women participating in WWI and WWII.

While I Was Gone, Sue Miller (3.5)

I appreciated the beautiful writing in this book, though I found the main character to have a melancholy that seemed unwarranted. She has a wonderful husband (and seemingly very happy marriage), a satisfying career and 3 grown daughters. The idea that she has serious mid-life crisis/empty nest syndrome issues made me sad. Who can make it through their 50’s intact? The narrative moves forward based on someone from her past showing up. Nothing too secret, but apparently the effect on her was buried deeply and now must be addressed. Sadly, I found her husband too perfect, her potential affair unrealistic and left disappointed.